Last week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee heard testimony from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) State Flexibility Waivers. Secretary Duncan indicated that waivers were always a “Plan B” option in the absence of congressional action on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Commissioners of Education from Kentucky and New York also provided Congress a snapshot of developments in their state as a result of their states receiving ESEA waivers. The Commissioners explained that waivers eased the burden of NCLB but were not their first choice, and they urged Congress to consider a long-term reauthorization of ESEA. When Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) inquired about granting waivers to school districts in states that did not apply for ESEA waivers, Secretary Duncan stated that he would prefer to work with states on the waivers and will make a decision on district waivers at a later date.

Link: Hearing Testimony